Will Robie may have just made the first - and last - mistake of his career.... It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable: He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.

Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a 14-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway....

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Publisher's Summary

America has enemies - ruthless people that the police, the FBI, even the military can't stop. That's when the U.S. government calls on Will Robie, a stone-cold hitman who never questions orders and always nails his target.

But Will Robie may have just made the first - and last - mistake of his career....

It begins with a hit gone wrong. Robie is dispatched to eliminate a target unusually close to home in Washington, D.C. But something about this mission doesn't seem right to Robie, and he does the unthinkable: He refuses to kill. Now, Robie becomes a target himself and must escape from his own people.

Fleeing the scene, Robie crosses paths with a wayward teenage girl, a 14-year-old runaway from a foster home. But she isn't an ordinary runaway - her parents were murdered, and her own life is in danger. Against all of his professional habits, Robie rescues her and finds he can't walk away. He needs to help her.

Even worse, the more Robie learns about the girl, the more he's convinced she is at the center of a vast cover-up, one that may explain her parents' deaths and stretch to unimaginable levels of power. Now, Robie may have to step out of the shadows in order to save this girl's life... and perhaps his own.

If you like action and suspense, then you will like " The Innocent". Baldacci has created a character called Robie who is a hitman. He is sent out on assignment that he can not complete. Robie figures out that he was set up. And now is on the run. Robie encounters a 14yr old girl named Julie. Julie see's her parents shoot and killed. And now is running for her life. There paths cross on a bus. Julie is a sassy, street smart girl. And Robie is rough around the edges with a good heart. And takes Julie under his wing. And the adventure begins. I enjoyed both characters a lot. I hope Baldacci writes another book with Robie and Julie. It would be interesting to see what Julie grows up to be? And what Robie's next assignment would be? Baldacci has done it again, and wrote another great book.

After being nagged by my mom to read David Baldacci and finally giving in I have become quite the fan. I truly enjoy the way he can spin a tail that has far reaching ties for the characters. And it was fun to see him take an uptight perfectionist and turn him into a real live human.

The Innocent was not my favorite of his but is definitely better than most out there and well worth the read. I think it would have been more appealing to me if he had a different set of narrators because I identify with these readers, McLarty & Cassidy, with other Baldacci characters (King & Maxwell, Camel Club, Zero Day and others). McLarty & Cassidy are great and my problem stem from the fact that I recently re-listened to several of Baldacci's other series and stand alones.

I generally don't leave reviews but I was compelled to review this performance.... The sound effects are very distracting and the added female voice sounds spliced in and computer generated (wrecked the story for me listening to her). The guys voice was only marginally better..... Over all decent story but the performance was so bad I didn't finish this book, only the second book I didn't finish ever.

I enjoyed this book. The performance by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy was very good - although it was a bit disconcerting at first to listen to two voices. Was this necessary? I'm not sure. Nevertheless, I got used to it and the story moved along well. Robie is a great new character. I hate to compare him to others like Reacher and Mitch Rapp - but it's hard to avoid. This being said, the plot moves along at a good clip and the story is never predictable. In all, a fun read.

Having read or listened to over 15 other Baldacci novels (and LOVED them all) I was sorry I didn't read the negative reviews on this one.

I DETEST the music and sound effects that are creeping in to many recordings lately. The music and effects included in this one was over the top and didn't enhance the experience for me at all. It is extremely annoying and distracting.

Nevertheless, when the story is phenomenal, I grit my teeth and ignore the sappy music or gun shot noise. The plot here is so far fetched I couldn't decide which was more painful.

It's hard for me to believe that this book is not a first effort by an author who may or may not get published one day. Does Baldacci now have a stable of writers cranking out books for him like James Patterson?

I'm almost halfway through but since I'm not going to finish here's a quick review. It doesn't make sense. With the kind of man the government assassin is supposed to be, someone that avoids personal/emotional involvement, he goes out of his way the entire time, for this 14 year old girl (up to chapter 46 anyway). High tech spy devices used to track a kid? Treating the kid as if she's an adult, most of the time. The FBI agents have corny sophomoric dialog. Lots of the dialog seems rushed. I mean, as if to abbreviate some how. You could imagine this being an abridged version.

What could David Baldacci have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

More interesting supporting character(s). This is my first David Baldacci book and I like several things about the protagonist but it's like he's trying to be two different people.

What three words best describe Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy ???s performance?

Ron McLarty was really good but not great. He was FANTASTIC in Salem's Lot. Orlagh Cassidy sounds as if much or all of these recordings were done apart from the other reader and then the dialog was spliced together. Often times the tones and inflection, that you expect, isn't there.

Baldacci creates a captivating novel of absurdities. If you like a yarn that help you pass some time and get involved in trying to understand the puzzle of the story then you'll enjoy this book. I did! But, I also thought it was so far removed from reality and believability that it was a real stretch to just say, "Give me a break".

What could David Baldacci have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Make it less convoluted, make the # of people killed much smaller, make the number of government traitors much smaller.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy ?

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